Imperial Apocalypse Book Four
by scorpionaris
Summary: World War Three
1. Chapter ZERO

Imperial Apocalypse

Part Four: World War III

Ch0: New Characters and New Updates

Part 4 starts in the year 2067

If you just got into the Imperial Apocalypse Series, or if you have not read the series for a while, then I want you to go back to Part 1, ch1and start from the beginning. Chances are, you won't have a clue what is going on when Part Four begins.

Daniel Hartwell (Update)

Once freed from his mech, he was returned to his human form. He has an extremely muscular body and knowledge of 16 different martial arts forms. MTECH and WVI got a merger just after the war. The resulting company is called Itexicon Technologies (note that if your name is James Patterson or if you have read the Maximum Ride Series, the Itexicon mentioned here is not related to Itex Worldwide. Itexicon is also not a registered name and can be used by the public for any means. Yeah, I did my homework). Other than being a brutal, hard-core, tough Five-Star General for the new Mech Corps in the United States Military and being the most powerful man on the planet, he is pretty much the same Daniel Hartwell we all know and love.

Jordan Crane

After the Separatist Invasion and the Corporate War that left behind so much destruction, Jordan left the military world, while still owning a third of Itexicon Technologies, and began efforts to stop World War III before it started. Jordan started a new branch of Itexicon Technologies called the "Alliance for World Peace". His efforts include forging alliances and eliminating rivalries, peace treaties, and managing trade.

World War III

When the Corporate War ended, The USA and China split off and raised powerful armies. The Russians stayed with the Americans and prepared a large invasion force to enter China. China's Axis powers are Germany, Libya, Egypt, France, North and South Korea, Iran, Iraq, and Vietnam. The Allies are Russia, the United States, Great Britain, Japan, Poland, Spain, Greece, India, Ireland, Austrailia, and Scotland. With the world's largest corporations on the Allied side and the Chinese Infantry, the world's largest ground force at 1.4 billion soldiers, on the Axis side, this will be the largest and most deadly war ever fought.

Agent John Cressida

A seasoned, tough Joint FBI-CIA agent who was assigned to keep track of Itexicon Technologies, he shows up to help out Daniel and the team from time to time. He knows his way around the world and has contacts in the farthest corners of the globe. He is a good friend of Daniel and Jordan. He is usually armed with a Walther P99 handgun and an AR-7 sniper's rifle. When WorldView and MTECH merged to create Itexicon, global concerns were raised over the fear of an Industrial Dictatorship, causing the United States Government to take action. John volunteered to watch over Itexicon and its branches. He is a master of several hand-to-hand combat forms including Judo and Songham Tae-Kwon-Doe.

The Mech Corps of the United States Armed Forces

The Mech Corps were created just after the Corporate War when the government saw the power of the Titan Battle Droids and the mechs that were used. The Mech Corps now consists of more than five hundred highly trained soldiers and their mechs, two hundred Titan Battle Droids, and three hundred Star Corps super soldiers. While other major countries have their own Mech Armies, only the US has a Star Corps.

Josh Hartwell

After the Corporate War, he left home and joined the United States Army. He was a Commander and was stationed in Germany for a peace keeping mission. He served for six years before he went missing. He was last seen with a German General during the Great Blizzard of 2066.


	2. Battle For India

Imperial Apocalypse

Part Four: World War III

Battle for India

Daniel knew that he had to find his son, but didn't want to risk going into Germany and starting a war. He especially didn't want to risk getting stuck in his mech again. That mech would only be a last resort. "Jordan, how are peace efforts going in Germany?" asked Daniel, "Great, just great. The Germans won't agree to an arms reduction agreement. Any chance of a global thermonuclear war just got boosted. By the way, Josh was spotted by a US Army sniper. He says that Josh appeared to be training with German Elites." Jordan said. Daniel got a call ten minutes later. The Germans had attacked a US Army Base in Berlin. World War III started the next day. Daniel got another call. He was to lead the Mech Corps into battle against the Iranian Mech Corps.

The next day, Daniel loaded his mech into a customized Hercules Cargo Super-Jet transport. The jet was destined first for the Army Base in India, then for Iran. The four-day trip to India was long, hot and boring. Daniel passed the time by mounting and dismounting his weapons and adding a spike ball to the tail of his mech. The final weapons set included a laser cannon, a spike ball, an auto-target minigun, claws, and more powerful canine teeth in the mech's jaws.

The moment the Super-Jet landed on a crowded Indian airstrip, the mechs of the United States Mech Corps began to form into formal columns, divided by the different battalions of each division. Daniel climbed into his mech and did the one thing he had dreaded for so long: he plugged is mind into the mech. He was no longer just Daniel, he was the mech now. He felt a surge of power wash over him as he left his human body. "Open the doors." he ordered the pilot. The doors opened and four members of Elite Squadron ran over to work as guards. The six hundred mechs of the US Mech Corps snapped to attention as Daniel walked out into the open and toward the Palestine border. At his order, the mechs began their long march across Palestine and towards the Iranian target.

As they reached the border of India, they saw hundreds of mechs charging their way towards India. Daniel sounded retreat and all Hell broke loose. Daniel charged alone into the fray. The Mech Corps was fighting a loosing battle against an enemy that outnumbered them by ten to one. Daniel retreated back to the Indian airfield and into the Super-Jet. "Equip the bombs!" he ordered the pilots. They took off and, looking out the window through the eyes of his mech, Daniel spotted the Iranian Commander. "Open the doors now!" he shouted as the dropped the bombs on the enemy. The doors opened and Daniel leapt out and dived toward the enemy Commander. The Iranian Commander never saw it coming when Daniel landed next to him and was ripped in half by Daniel's powerful claws. The enemy halted, then sounded retreat. The battle, however, was far from over.

Daniel and the Mech Corps continued their march to Iran. The soldiers encountered no resistance as they charged through the countryside. The neared the Iranian border and the enemy forces split and revealed a large, powerful mech who seemed to be the Champion of Iran. The US Mech Corps halted and Daniel dismissed his guard. The two superpowers in the world of mech fighting drew closer to each other. An eerie silence fell over the battlefield. More mech armies from other nations arrived and stood at the sidelines of the fight. Daniel shed his weapons from his mech. The Champion followed suit. Daniel and the Champion began to communicate with each other. "Hello, Daniel. I have heard many great things about you. To save some time here, I'll just come out and say this: I, my friend, am Jackson T. Russo.

Daniel was shocked beyond belief. He pulled up a picture of his competitor and saw Jack's face. Outside, the formalities of the fight were beginning. News helicopters and reporters came by the thousands and gathered around a now-drawn ring. Fences were raised and crowds came by the millions. There was one prize for the winner: control of Iran. This would be a fight to the death. Daniel had the experience, the money, the power, and the Champion had the fan base.

By now, the two mechs were being broadcast all over the world. Daniel knew that he had to make a move soon. If the Champion made a move first, then Daniel would be destroyed. Daniel charged, then shot Jack through the skull of his mech. If that didn't kill him, then the spike ball that slammed into the Champion's head did. The Champion fought back fiercely. Daniel dodged everything, then took the head off of the Champion's mech. He turned his head to see the crowd's reaction, then unhooked his human body from the mech. Surprisingly, it released him and he found himself at the controls of his tiger mech. Daniel took the compact emergency Repulsor bike and flew out to Jack to see if he was still alive.

Approaching the mech from the air, he could see no signs of life from the massive mechanical beast. Coming closer, he saw a head appear from within the mech. Daniel landed his bike, then walked up to Jack. Daniel started to show mercy for Jack. He lifted his opponent out from the cage of steel and helped him to his feet. "You okay?" Daniel asked, "Yeah, but you aren't supposed to let me live." "Sometimes even the greatest military victories require no bloodshed." Daniel grabbed Jack's wrist and raised his and Jack's hands. Declaring a dual victory, then told Jack, "My grandfather once told me that grace, mercy and forgiveness would help a man Walk Tall. He was right. When I was young, I lived my days while showing no mercy, killing everything. I joined the Galactic Empire, fought alongside Star Fox and Star Fleet, and led a rebellion against the one man who ruined my life: Darth Vader. Now I regret those years. However glorious they seemed, they were full of anger, death, and destruction. Ever since then, I have tried to make up for the destruction that I caused. The Corporate War, however, made my plans go straight to Hell. Now, seeing what I have been doing all these years, I just want to live my life to its fullest." Daniel turned, got on his bike, and boarded his mech. He then turned the mech around and left, ordering a full retreat. The battle was over and Daniel could swear that he saw a squadron of TIE Fighters in the distance.


	3. No Pressure

Imperial Apocalypse

Part Four: World War III

No Pressure

Once Daniel arrived at San Francisco, he was quickly greeted by several Secret Service men. They led him to a limousine that was surrounded with the men and women of the National Guard. The door opened and Daniel climbed in. Looking to his right, he was surprised to see the Leader of the Free World, the President of the United States of America. Daniel said nervously, "Uh, hello. I'm" "Son, I know who you are. You're the man who defeated Iran in the Middle Eastern Mech Battle. Personally, I am a big fan. But that's not why you're here. I am sending you and the United States Marine Corps to Taiwan to defeat the Chinese Forces that are stationed there. Unfortunately, your mech will not fit on the aircraft carrier. You will go on foot with your choice of weapons."

They arrived at a dock that was full of Naval Vessels. Daniel saw a large battalion of soldiers standing in formation, weapons ready, waiting for a Commander. The President pointed to the battalion and said, "That there, Commander, is your battalion. They are yours to command." Daniel got out of the limousine and walked over to the soldiers. Still wearing his torn and bloody Mech Corps uniform, a soldier ran up to him with a USMC uniform. Daniel refused and instead put on olive cargo pants, a tight black t-shirt, a headset from the Star Fox Team and heavy black boots. Walking back to the soldiers, he told them that he was their new Commander. They relaxed and he called over two of the Marines. "What are your names?" Daniel asked. The first replied, "Lieutenant Bishop Shepard, Sir!" "Dude, relax, don't call me sir." Bishop seemed to be surprised by this. The other told him, "Lieutenant Commander Michael Greenwood." "I am assigning you to be my guards." The President walked up to Daniel and told him, "You are also the Head of this operation. What ever happens will be on your head. No pressure." he said.

Once they boarded the ship, Daniel was assigned the Captain's Quarters. The Captain refused to give up his quarters, so Daniel shared the room with the Navy Captain. The ship was a super-carrier, the largest aircraft carrier in the US Pacific Fleet, and was called the USS American Pride. This vessel was the most technologically advanced in the world. In addition to a ship-board armory, the carrier also had the capacity to hold fifty joint-strike jets, and a city of personnel. Daniel walked down to the armory with his battalion and selected weapons for the soldiers. For himself, he chose an M2451 "Defender" heavy assault rifle and a Walther P99 handgun.

"Choose the full-jacket .45 bullets. They make a good impression on the enemy. They also work well with an extended clip. By the way, good job choosing the Walther P99." Daniel turned around to see the source of the voice and saw Agent John, or as Daniel liked to call him, Big Brother. "How the Hell did you get on this ship?" Daniel asked, "Personal Jet boat. Has everything I need for a day on the water. Jet skies, armory, depth charges, mines, you name it. Oh, and before I forget, thanks for that lead on bin Laden. Here, we found this on him and thought that you might want it." John gave him a .45 long-barrel revolver and a belt holster. "Thanks Big Brother, you might want this to go with your guns." Daniel gave him a box of exploding bullets. "Fresh from the WVI weapons factory." Daniel said. They walked off towards their quarters and awaited the time when they would see Taiwan. This would be one Hell of a battle in one Hell of a war.


	4. The Gods Themselves

Imperial Apocalypse

Part Four: World War III

The Gods Themselves

As the ship neared Taiwan, Chinese MiG jets bombed the fleet, trying to stop the Americans from invading Taiwan. As they got closer, the attacks got desperate. Daniel took shelter from the heavy rains and lightning in a hangar with his battalion. It seemed that the gods were setting the scene for the first of many dark battles. The ship was continually rocked by large waves, as if Neptune himself were trying to stop the Americans from invading. Maybe the gods knew something that Daniel and the Americans didn't. A large lightning bolt struck the ship and Daniel was knocked back, unconscious, and onto the floor.

The Vision

"Daniel? Daniel? Is he okay? What did you do to him!" Daniel slowly opened his eyes and looked around for the source of the voice. He saw four men and a teenage girl. "As far as I know, I don't have any teenagers in my battalion." Daniel said, "Are you sure he's okay?" the girl asked, "Like, does he know where he is and who we are?" "Ah, yes. Daniel? I am Zeus; this is Apollo, Ares, and Neptune. Also, this is Athena." "What the Hell? Wait. Who are you again?" Daniel said, shocked, "If you're Greek Gods, does that mean that I'm in Greece?" "No. That means that we're Greek Gods. But enough with introductions. We need to tell you that the Chinese are planning to hit Taiwan with an atom bomb when you begin the invasion. That, and Athena wants a boyfriend" "Okay, invasion is cancelled, and Athena, you're with me. Can I go back now to warn my friends?" "Here is something for you, Daniel." Zeus gave Daniel a large, titanium sword that had a few different symbols carved into it and a several hundred glowing lines running in strange patterns set into the titanium. The sword itself was colored a chrome color. "What is it?" asked Daniel, "Not your average rifle. It fires a self-accelerating round that will home in on the target and incinerate them on the spot." said Zeus, "That's some dark stuff. I like it." replied Daniel. He was then knocked out and sent back to the US Navy ship.

End of Vision

Daniel stood up and saw that the sword was leaning on a wall near him. He grabbed it and walked over to his soldiers, who were surrounding something. "Daniel! Over here!" "Athena?" "Still here!" Daniel parted his soldiers, took Athena's hand and they walked up to the ship's bridge.

"Captain? Captain? Are you still here?" Daniel said to an empty bridge. "Maybe he's not here anymore." Athena replied, "Or he's dead." Daniel said, referring to the dead bodies with hundreds of small, glowing spiders flowing out of the wounds, "Come on, let's get the Hell out of here. This doesn't feel right." Daniel stated as he pulled Athena toward the door.

The two sprinted into the hangar where the battalion was fighting the spiders. "Like my new weapon?" Daniel turned to see a robed, hooded figure moving toward him. The spiders ran over to him and covered him. He grew in size quickly. "There are plenty more of us. You just have to know where to look." Daniel unsheathed his sword and yelled, "I would like to know the name of my latest kill." "Oh, I will not be the one who is dead, young Daniel. In fact, you will not be dead either. You shall rule beside me as the Prince of Shadows." "I will accept your offer when I know who you are." "Why must you know my name, when I reside inside of you?" "The one who resides in me is God." "How do you know I'm not God?" "How do you know I'm Daniel" "Because I am Hades, The King of Hell!" "Thank you for finally telling me your name." "Hey, are you two done yet? The battle has started and I just want to go fight." said Athena. The two glared at each other for a few minutes before saying in unison, "Now, we are done." Hades threw a solid black hooded robe to Daniel before fading away. Daniel donned the robe and immediately felt the power rush into him.

Daniel sheathed his sword and grabbed his rifle and pistol, plus a round shield that had been given to him by Neptune. "Leave the guns. You only need me, your shield and your sword." Athena told him, already wearing armor and wielding a short sword. "What did I miss?" Daniel turned to see Ares walk up to him. Ares had a long sword and no armor. Daniel told the battalion to go secure the beach with the rest of the army. Another two voices told Daniel that more people were joining his team. Daniel looked over to see Neptune and Apollo run up. "Here, you need this Daniel." Apollo gave him a war horse that looked to be more mechanical than living. "You already know how to ride it." Daniel got on and it knew where Daniel wanted to go, how fast and what he was thinking. "Have you not given him enough already? He needs one more thing, something that is not materialistic. Daniel, I give you the gifts of strength, courage, power and speed. With these, you shall win any battle." Daniel looked over his shoulder to see Zeus appear before him. "Now the rest of you, with the exception of Athena may leave." The others left and only Daniel, Athena and Zeus stayed. "Daniel, if you ever need help, call on us and we will fight for you. World War III will not be the end of one world, but of another." Zeus faded away and Daniel ordered his horse to take him into the fray. Daniel could see several Stormtroopers march off into the distance. He was sure that it was a sign of things to come.


	5. The Battle of Taiwan

Imperial Apocalypse

Part Four: World War III

The Battle of Taiwan

Daniel rode his horse up to the beach and saw his army laughing. "Tell me, what makes you laugh?" "You and your horse, sword and shield." Daniel saw black titanium gauntlets appear on him. The soldiers stopped laughing. "What are you waiting for? Attack the island!" Daniel rode into the jungle and immediately felt the enemy bullets bouncing off of him. The roar of machine guns and the drone of old bombers drowned out all other noise. "Go that way! Toward the clearing!" Daniel heard the thought in his head and felt Athena's presence in his mind. His horse galloped to the clearing and realized that he must look like the Angel of Death. Before him sat about fifty civilians who were terrified of him. "Oops, wrong clearing." he said glaring at Athena, who said that she didn't know that there were civilians still on the island. "We come in peace." Athena told them. "We're not aliens, we're warriors." Daniel stated, "Maybe we need to go to another clearing." replied Athena, "Or we could tell them that we are stopping the Chinese." "Another good idea." "People of Taiwan, or what's left of you, we are stopping the Chinese from invading your island." The people talked amongst themselves before gunfire erupted in the clearing and Daniel rushed in and killed the gunners.

Before long, the US Army was charging through the forest toward the capital city of Taipei. The resistance was much stronger when Daniel reached the city limits. Athena had taken half of the troops to the other side, where there was more resistance. Daniel was sure that the US forces were being destroyed. His radio, which had been streaming live feeds from battles across the globe, suddenly emitted static. The other soldiers' radios and electronics also were now defective. "EMP wave. Electronics are useless. Cybernetic warfare is inevitable." Daniel told his team. He put on his hood, unsheathed his sword and put his shield on his back, then took a new, temporary identity: The AntiChrist.

Riding into the city, he left a trail of blood behind him. Many fell during his brave charge and even more died as he powered through a thick wall of soldiers on his way to the capital building and then to Athena. Daniel's soldiers followed him through the great city and were cheered on by the civilians as saviors and liberators. Daniel, however, felt the power of death flowing through his veins. "Let's hurry up and get out of here. I need to see Athena." Daniel said to one of his soldiers just before collapsing and falling from his horse.

"Is he okay? Get that robe off of him." Daniel opened his eyes to see four medics operating on him. "Good, you're awake. Hades messed with the robe and gauntlets. They weakened you. You were out for five hours." Athena told him. Daniel got up and walked over to his horse. He got on and ran off to the enemy general.

The general saw him coming and commanded his men to hold their fire. Daniel, hearing this, knew that many would die in this final assault. He pulled out an old AR-7 sniper's rifle and took aim. Within thirty minutes, all of the opposing soldiers were dead. The US Army marched into the city as Daniel was running out of it toward the ship. "Hey! Where are you going?" asked Athena, to which Daniel replied, "Out. They're all dead. I had fun, now let's go." Daniel rode out of the city and onto the warship, leaving the soldiers and Athena stunned.


	6. American Invasion

Imperial Apocalypse

Part Four: World War III

American Invasion

While Daniel and the Army were taking Taiwan, the Axis Powers were gearing up to invade the United States of America. Millions would be killed. Entire cities would be wiped off the map. Jordan was desperately trying to stop the invasion. The only way out, he discovered, was war.

Daniel had been put on a plane and shipped out to New York City, the target of the invasion, and told that he would lead an army to defend the United States. Once he arrived, he was loaded into a truck and shipped to Times Square. When he got there, he was led to an underground bunker, out of sight of the public.

He opened the door to the bunker and found a massive cave system that housed literally millions of Special Forces troops with hundreds of robotic suits that enhanced the troops' ability to fight. Daniel was handed a slip of paper and told that the first number was his suit number and the second one was his weapons number.

"Hey, I'm David. You new here?" "I'm Daniel Hartwell. I'm your Commander. And yes, I'm new here." The soldier was unnervingly calm in the face of disaster. It reminded Daniel of himself. David took him on a tour through the immense system of caverns that held everything from a nuclear missile silo to tanks and Jeeps to massive starships and Apache gunship helicopters. The other soldiers had gathered around Daniel and, while he was walking around, formed a sort of body guard around him. Daniel looked to his right and above the soldiers to see the Allied world leaders, Jordan and a group of men that he had never seen before.

"Attention!" a deep voice boomed over the intercom before giving a four number code. Three men escorted Daniel to an SUV and they drove him to what appeared to be a massive fortress. They got out and walked in through the gates. The room was quite large and there were several banners with a strange symbol and the phrase "NOVUS ORDO SECORUM" on them. At the back center was a platform with three chairs. Surrounding the platform was hundreds of chairs and tables. Daniel was escorted to the platform and told that he would receive an award that would change his life. "Daniel Hartwell. You have been selected to rule." A scepter was placed in his hands and he was seated on the center chair. "All hail the King of the New World Order!" Robin was seated next to him and within the next ten minutes, they were married. Robin was the Queen of the New World Order.

Daniel thought now of all the people that he had killed to come to this point. Thousands had died for this to happen. They would stay with him for the rest of his life. Daniel never figured out what happened to Athena.


	7. SubWar: America

Imperial Apocalypse

Part Four: World War III

SubWar: America

Daniel commanded his troops with precision as they prepared to defend America from the foreign invaders. If anything went wrong, there would be several armies ready to defend their nation. This SubWar would be one of the biggest in World History. The chances of a global thermonuclear war were minimal.

The alarms sounded and millions of American soldiers rushed into the fray that was the East Coast. The Air Force jets swarmed the air and the fight began to defend America. The invaders: China and France. The battle for New York City was among the fiercest in American History. In the end, New York City was held by the invaders, as was most of the East Coast.

The Chinese pushed further and further into the U.S. Many large cities were leveled by the Chinese war machine. The French launched their offensive on the West Coast and within days held the West Coast with an iron grip. Daniel immediately set up an HQ in Michigan. The Chinese were suddenly pushed back by a surge of American Forces and the French were halted within minutes of the Chinese.

Over the next few days, they were pushed out of the USA and the New World Order was terminated. Daniel gave one final order, "The New World Order must never again rise to power. All standard soldiers are dismissed. All elite troopers must join the Itexicon Technologies army." That one last order was what removed the New World Order from the face of the world.

While the world recovered from the war, Daniel and Robin, now husband and wife, returned to Itexicon Technologies HQ and found Mark dead and the base in ruins. Daniel promptly renamed the company, AstroNet General Technologies, and buried Mark inside of the base. The mechs were returned to AstroNet and Jackson took his own place in the corporation as the head of the Cybernet Security Team, dubbed, CyberGeeks. Jordan returned to AstroNet and rebuilt the HQ, then set up two new programs: The Phoeni-X Project and the Endgame Effort. This would hopefully stop the threat of a global thermonuclear war. They would create nuclear fission-fusion bombs. If the world powers got hold of these, then the world would cease to exist. Daniel had a strong feeling that the next war would be coming from the stars. He silently watched several Arwing-shaped shooting stars in the distance.


End file.
